Carlos Sainz wins F1 Mexico GP, Max Verstappen penalized for Lando Norris scrap

MEXICO CITY — It may not have been a Ferrari 1-2 like in Austin, but Carlos Sainz won the Mexico City Grand Prix with a 4.7-second gap over Lando Norris. Charles Leclerc rounded out the podium, and Ferrari moved to second in the constructors’ standings.

Within the first 20 laps, the title momentum swung as the Mexico City Grand Prix essentially became a damage limitation race for Max Verstappen after he received two 10-second time penalties for his battles with Norris. He had to serve the penalties during his first pit stop, and the Red Bull pit crew hovered as they waited out the 20-second clock.

It’s the second consecutive race weekend Norris and Verstappen have been involved in incidents that resulted in significant penalties. In Austin, Norris received a five-second time penalty, which moved the Dutchman to a podium finish.

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The Mexico City Grand Prix started with a chaotic start as Sainz and Verstappen battled for the lead as the grid barreled down to Turn 1, but an incident further back in the field left the remaining 18 drivers navigating the circuit behind the safety car for five laps. Alex Albon, who had little room, clipped the rear of Yuki Tsunoda, sending the RB driver backward as a tire flew off.

As the grid remained behind the safety car, Sergio Pérez received a five-second time penalty for a false start, which he needed to serve at his first pit stop. He had rocketed up the grid and gained five spots at the beginning of the race, and the pressure was on to finish ahead of Oscar Piastri.

The restart was smooth and incident-free, Verstappen pulling over a second ahead of Sainz early on. But it didn’t last long. With the help of DRS, Sainz sent it past Verstappen to retake the lead, and on Lap 10, Verstappen and Norris began battling, resulting in two separate incidents. The moments happened at Turns 4 and 8, the first of which the Dutchman received a 10-second time penalty for “forcing another driver off the track” and another 10-second penalty for “leaving the track and gaining an advantage.”

LAP 14 / 71

Max Verstappen has a 10-second time penalty for forcing another car off track! ⚠️

“10?! That’s quite impressive.” he says to the Red Bull pit wall 📻#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/2uFgXECI7e

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 27, 2024

The second incident allowed Leclerc to slip past, and Ferrari took control of the race.

Verstappen’s race engineer GianPiero Lambiase told him over the radio, “So Max, update, you’ve been given another 10-second time penalty, that’s for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at Turn 8.” Verstappen responded, “And how about him then, Turn 4? That’s fine, then? That’s silly, man.”

What a moment in the story of this season’s World Championship 🤯🤯#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/nTZfYjDcMy

— Formula 1 (@F1) October 27, 2024

After Verstappen served his penalties during the first round of pit stops, he emerged P15 ahead of Pérez. Ferrari maintained control of the race, Sainz eight seconds ahead of Leclerc by lap 31. A few other moments happened elsewhere on the grid that the stewards investigated, like Pérez’s incidents with Liam Lawson and Lance Stroll (both of which resulted in no further action). But while Verstappen began gaining ground and fighting his way through the grid, reaching P9 by lap 36, Pérez lingered at the back of the grid at P16, behind Zhou Guanyu (who had yet to pit at the time) but ahead of Stroll.

Verstappen’s racing moves on Norris earned him a 20-second penalty pit stop. (CARLOS PEREZ GALLARDO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The race fell into a rhythm, but not without a few eye-catching moments, like George Russell being told the Mercedes drivers were allowed to race for P4. Lewis Hamilton was hot on his tail, moving within over a second of Russell by lap 49. That same lap, Sainz radioed Ferrari and said he felt they were pushing too hard, but a bit further back, Norris was gaining ground, moving within a few seconds of Leclerc.

With 10 laps to go, Norris was within striking distance of Leclerc, holding onto the race’s fastest lap at the time. But the McLaren driver’s second-place finish didn’t come from an aggressive pass; Leclerc lost the rear and flew out of track limits, somehow saving the SF-24 from slamming the barriers.

Norris set out to hunt down his former teammate, Sainz, who really hadn’t been challenged throughout the race since retaking the lead from Verstappen. But the gap was rather significant, sitting at 7.5 seconds or so. Sainz remained ahead, and Ferrari called in Leclerc to box in hopes of setting the fastest lap. He had a 29-second gap to Hamilton by the time he pitted. And Red Bull did the same for Pérez. Leclerc ended with the fastest lap.

In the end, Norris still gained ground in the drivers’ standings, with Verstappen finishing sixth, and Ferrari moved to second in the constructors’ championship.

Here’s how the top 10 finished.

1. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
2. Lando Norris (McLaren)
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
5. George Russell (Mercedes)
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
8. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
9. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas)
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

Top photo: Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images